Really worried about Harvey UD he's gone

[Willowsmum]

I've just caught up on this thread....I'm in tears for you.....I'm so sorry he's gone

 

[Rabcat]

Oh no!!! I have only just seen this as I haven't been on here.

I am so, so sorry about Harvey. What an awful and upsetting shock for you

I wish I could say something to help.

Sending you hugs xxxxxxxx

Binky free little Harvey xxxxx

 

[*Funny*Bunny*]

Thanks all,

Waking up is no way near exciting without Harvey to come down to obviously I still look forwards to seeing Lilly, but in a way I don't because when I see her I have to see her sadness and distress she calms and settles after some nose rubs from me, and she laid next to me very close this morning, literally touching, normally she only lays and kicks her legs out a metres or further from me, so she is craving my company even more than usual

Couldn't face going in this morning, taking a day off to grieve, also to let my eyes go down, I look like I've been punched in both they are so swollen may get in trouble but I don't even care right now I'll definitely be in tomorrow.

I wish there was something I could tell people so this doesn't happen to their rabbits, but there really is nothing I can think of because it happened so fast. Harvey had pain relief 10 minutes after symptoms started, he was at the vets 45 minutes after symptoms started and he died 2hr 15 minutes after they started. Even though the vets couldn't help I'd still say always take them if something is wrong, I now at least know I did everything for him and there's nothing I could have done, if I'd not done so I'd be always worried that if I'd taken him the vets could have done something or noticed something I hadn't and saved him.

 

[rachylou]

Thanks all,

Waking up is no way near exciting without Harvey to come down to obviously I still look forwards to seeing Lilly, but in a way I don't because when I see her I have to see her sadness and distress she calms and settles after some nose rubs from me, and she laid next to me very close this morning, literally touching, normally she only lays and kicks her legs out a metres or further from me, so she is craving my company even more than usual

Couldn't face going in this morning, taking a day off to grieve, also to let my eyes go down, I look like I've been punched in both they are so swollen may get in trouble but I don't even care right now I'll definitely be in tomorrow.

I wish there was something I could tell people so this doesn't happen to their rabbits, but there really is nothing I can think of because it happened so fast. Harvey had pain relief 10 minutes after symptoms started, he was at the vets 45 minutes after symptoms started and he died 2hr 15 minutes after they started. Even though the vets couldn't help I'd still say always take them if something is wrong, I now at least know I did everything for him and there's nothing I could have done, if I'd not done so I'd be always worried that if I'd taken him the vets could have done something or noticed something I hadn't and saved him.

I'm heartbroken for you
This is really scary as Jims has frequent stasis episodes and each time is really nerverecking.

 

[*Funny*Bunny*]

I'm heartbroken for you
This is really scary as Jims has frequent stasis episodes and each time is really nerverecking.

Stasis is very scary I agree Harvey had it a few times and if I'm honest I expected that eventually it would be what got him and I'd accepted that, and knew that one day he'd get too old to fight it. However this wasn't stasis it was something neurological, so it could have been a brain tumour, a brain abscess, a parasite such as EC or toxoplasmosis or even a burst aneurysm. Only the parasites could have really had much done about them, and having read up on them it seems that usually they are chronic problems so the rabbits affected will have early and gradual symptoms which allows you to notice and get investigations and treatment in time, and when they do have an acute problem with them it is still not likely for things to move this fast, you usually have a bit more time to try and do something about it. IF anything could have been done about a tumour, abscess or aneurysm (which would have been unlikely) then it would have been a risky procedure and he would have had to have had minor symptoms to start so I could have noticed early. Unfortunately whatever happened, happened suddenly, but fortunately, if whatever got him would have been incurable anyway then at least it was sudden and he wasn't ill for ages.

I really miss his little excitable face Lilly has gone to town on digging up the carpet, which they used to do, but not this ambitiously, I'm getting new laminate flooring in on Tuesday though so I supposed I should just let her do it and release her frustrations!

 

[Jack's-Jane]

I do know of a very similar situation were a Rabbit had sudden onset severe abdominal pain (you say Vet noted 'abdominal tenderness and fast breathing' ). The Rabbit was taken to a Vet and initially 'Gut Stasis' was diagnosed. The Rabbit was given medication and sent home. Over the next few hours he deteriorated and then apparently 'fitted' and passed away. A PM revealed the cause of death to be a liver lobe torsion. The 'fit' being a result of all the toxins that had built up in the Rabbits bloodstream due to the Liver lobe torsion.

I obviously cant say for certain if Harvey passed for the same reason, but if he did then there really was no more you could have done for him and you didn't miss any warning signs. Sometimes surgery can be attempted, but it is often the case that the Rabbit passes before this can be done

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/HepaticLobeTorsionRabbit.htm

 

[*Funny*Bunny*]

I do know of a very similar situation were a Rabbit had sudden onset severe abdominal pain (you say Vet noted 'abdominal tenderness and fast breathing' ). The Rabbit was taken to a Vet and initially 'Gut Stasis' was diagnosed. The Rabbit was given medication and sent home. Over the next few hours he deteriorated and then apparently 'fitted' and passed away. A PM revealed the cause of death to be a liver lobe torsion. The 'fit' being a result of all the toxins that had built up in the Rabbits bloodstream due to the Liver lobe torsion.

I obviously cant say for certain if Harvey passed for the same reason, but if he did then there really was no more you could have done for him and you didn't miss any warning signs. Sometimes surgery can be attempted, but it is often the case that the Rabbit passes before this can be done

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/HepaticLobeTorsionRabbit.htm

Thanks for the information Jane they did mention liver torsion, when the PCV came back normal they said in liver torsion it is normally high so it's unlikely to be that and as there were no masses or unusual findings to be felt on examination, just him getting angry when they did deep palpation suggesting there was pain. Obviously, unlikely does not mean it wasn't it. Unfortunately I think all the possibilities were unlikely at the time and all were things I or the vets could not have done much about

I'm worried about it possibly having been a parasite so I'm glad about Lilly going on panacur, also coincidentally I am having my carpet removed and replaced with lino on Tuesday, which is good as if they had a parasite it would probably have gotten into the carpet and I can't exactly bleach or vinegar the whole carpet! So at least the risk of it passing to a new rabbit is minimised if there was a parasite.

Even though I will always wonder what it was, I'm still glad I didn't have a post-mortem as it would have made everything much more emotionally difficult for me and I don't think I would have learnt anything that would have helped me save future rabbits so it doesn't trouble me too much not knowing